Childish Antics
by MichaelSaniyan
Summary: If all of the Puella Magi main characters would be little kids, except for Madoka, who would be their school nurse/counselor...then I would write this story about them. - Silly AU oneshot. Contains moral cakes and cuteness.


**AN: Description says it all. Nothing serious, just some playing around with characters and apparently trying to induce mental diabetes. Making characters into child versions of themselves usually has that effect. But yeah, it's nothing more than a pleasant little oneshot, and I hope you'll enjoy it. Also, for anyone who has read A Happy Dream, the idea of Nurse Madoka should be absolutely hilarious. ^_^ **

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><p>Madoka Kaname sat comfortably in her office, for the millionth time very glad to have been granted a window looking out across the schoolyard. It was very calming to her, watching the kids run about, and she smiled at how reluctantly they dragged themselves inside when the bell rang. Their antics reminded her of a simpler time, a cookie-cutter childhood that she would always remember as particularly blessed. That was simply her personality as someone who never ceased being optimistic. That mindset alone would carry her through life a very happy person.<p>

So she liked the view a lot, not only because it gave her pleasant shivers of nostalgia every now and then, but also because she could on uneventful days spot a potential visitor. Those cases gave her time to prepare, to swiftly do away with all paperwork and be focused on the matter on hand. Not that Madoka, a prime twenty-two years of age and with her beloved childhood still clinging on to her cutesy features, actually had any problems focusing.

Lost in thoughts and with her eyes on two certain girls that were getting a little too physical in a corner of the yard, the knock on the door startled the nurse a little. She was surprised as well, because it was a very careful knock. The door opened slowly and a blonde head peered around the corner timidly. Madoka looked at the visitor with kind, pink eyes, gesturing for the child to step inside.

"Hi, Mami."

"M-miss Madoka." Mami Tomoe was occasionally a shy one, but mostly around the teachers and other authority figures. Among the rest of her class however, she was confident and far from a pushover, and even assumed the leader role at times. She often acted the sophisticated child, and enjoyed arranging small tea parties, with real and imaginary guests alike. All and all, she was a well-rounded child, and all of the teachers were glad to have her.

Madoka noted the object dangling from Mami's hand, which the girl was halfheartedly trying to hide behind her back.

"Mami, is there something wrong with Charlotte?"

The blonde head bobbed in what could be assumed to be a nod. The doll was brought out for Madoka to see, and she tilted her head at the caped creature. It had been designed with the sole purpose of being irresistibly cute, what with its big, black eyes and the head the shape of a piece of wrapped candy. The problem was quite obvious, as Charlotte's left "ear" was torn off and white stuffing was spilling out of the wound. The reason for her visitor's timidness was clear now, because Mami usually wasn't _this _withdrawn.

"It was an accident..."

"It's fine, let me see her." It was almost funny, how many kids came to her with their patients being stuffed animals or something of the sort. Every time, she just had to pretend to do some examining, and promise the owner that their friends would be fine the next time they came back. Madoka didn't mind at all, except for being somewhat worried about the poor colleague who had to sew all the little critters back together.

The "ear" was still hanging on to the doll, but only by a sliver. Madoka spotted a pair of suspicious marks that made it difficult not to smile ear to ear as she gently took Charlotte in her arms.

"Mami?"

"Yes?"

"Did you...bite Charlotte?"

"She started it!" Cheeks flushing with embarrassment, the blonde gestured wildly at her inanimate friend. With the distinct tone of a child who told the absolute, very real and completely laughable truth, she continued:

"We were fighting, and we were both very angry. Charlotte threatened to bite my head off, so...um..."

"You thought you would bite her first?"

Mami nodded vigorously when she found that Madoka got what she was trying to say. She liked the pink-haired grown-up, always nice and listening to what you had to say without interrupting.

"Gee, isn't it a little violent for her to threaten to do such a thing? I mean, she is so much much smaller than you."

"Well, she can change shape and become _giant_. And when she does, she has _really _sharp teeth." Mami held her hands as far apart as she could to illustrate Charlotte's alleged size. Madoka nodded in understanding, put Charlotte on one of the beds in the room and patted a spot next to the injured doll. Mami slowly walked up and jumped onto the bed, settling down with her legs crossed and hands in her lap.

"Charlotte will be fine, so there is nothing to worry about. But more importantly, none of you should be threatening each other. No matter what you were fighting about, you should just talk it out without resorting to violence. You know this, Mami."

"Mm-hm..."

"And I bet Charlotte isn't that proud of what she said either."

"No...I apologized the entire way here, for hurting her. She's sorry too. I...I don't even remember what we were fighting about." Madoka sighed with compassion and put her hand gently on Mami's back, whose eyes had begun to tear up. Feelings were feelings, no matter what they were directed at. This unusual-looking doll was as much a friend of Mami's as any of her classmates, and was to be treated as such.

"It's okay then, isn't it? You both know what you did wrong, and you're both feeling bad about it."

"But you can fix her?"

"I promise I will. I'll have her stay here for the night, so come back tomorrow. Okay?" A smile cracking the girl's sombre mask, Mami gave a quick nod and jumped off the bed energetically.

"Thank you, miss Madoka."

"It's my job, Mami. Run along now, I'm sure someone is looking for you."

And with that, the blonde was off. Madoka scratched her cheek and giggled a tad, as amused and intrigued by the young ones as always. She, just like everyone else, adored the endearing girl who was Mami Tomoe, a bright and caring person who'd surely grow up to be something special.

"So..." Madoka glanced over at Charlotte, who was looking straight into the ground. "...I'm sure you're awfully scary and all, but you should think twice before cornering your friend there. She can apparently be quite violent."

Charlotte said nothing. Madoka decided to leave the lamenting doll alone. That was, until her break when she would go turn her over to the lady who could fix her back up.

**-I- **

Their arrival could be heard from a mile away. Or rather, Kyouko's arrival could. Her intense struggling, and the teacher that had to control her, made plenty of noise for Madoka to prepare herself. She instantly recognized the two girls as the ones outside from earlier, the redhead and the blunette. They were a year younger than Mami, and Madoka wasn't very familiar with their class. Though, everybody had heard of Kyouko Sakura. An infamous troublemaker from the very day she arrived, the teachers worked hard to keep her at bay. She was the epitome of the rebel child, who didn't do a thing she was told and encouraged all of her classmates to do the same.

"Mornin', Madoka." The male caretaker smiled sheepishly, for a moment unaware of the raging storms he held in his hands. Madoka knew the visitor well as a good friend and colleague, and unconsciously returned the smile.

"Good morning. What is this about?"

"She bit me!" The person speaking was the blue-haired girl, who looked even angrier than Kyouko, if such a thing was possible. Madoka wasn't familiar with her name, but was intrigued by the way she spoke. Her tone was full of a sort of indignation, and Madoka felt that she probably thought herself superior to the redhead.

Kyouko bared her teeth, another interesting reaction that fit her personality perfectly, and violently tore herself away from her caretaker. The man frowned in the pain caused by the child's fingernails, and turned his body as to be ready if Kyouko was going to try something. But the redhead backed up, and her hands dove back down into her pockets.

"You deserved it."

"Quiet, the both of you." The man stood between them, and none of the girls felt like going through him to get to each other. "Yeah, Kyouko here apparently bit Sayaka. I'll take care of them, but if you could clean her wound..."

"Sure, no problem. But...I'd like to speak Kyouko afterwards."

"We'll wait outside then." With another strained smile, he took a squirming Kyouko by the wrist and practically dragged her towards the door. The girl named Sayaka blew a raspberry at her enemy, and grinned contently at the sufficient reaction.

"Sayaka, wasn't it? I'm Madoka." Madoka noticed how the blunette's free hand was wrapped tightly around her arm, and gestured for her visitor to get up on one of the beds. She could already tell that the girl's reaction to getting hurt had been anger, nothing else. This, coupled with the fact that Sayaka had gotten into a scuffle with Kyouko of all people, led Madoka to believe that she was quite resilient.

Madoka eventually got to look at the wound, then proceeded to clean it. It was little more than a couple of red pricks, but the fact that Kyouko's teeth had pierced the skin was not to be overlooked. Sayaka was silent during the entire process, only frowning slightly at the occasional pain.

"There. All done."

"Thanks." A polite word, nothing more. Sayaka didn't seem like a rude person, nor a shy one. Madoka decided, as little as she knew about the blunette, not to question her about the incident. All she said was:

"I'm going to talk to Kyouko about what happened. Is there anything you want to tell me, anything you want me to know?" Her guest shook her head slowly, with crystalline blue eyes blinking absent-mindedly.

"No. There's nothing. Can I go now?"

"Of course."

Sayaka left, leaving Madoka with the strange feeling that she had missed something. She was a very involved person, and always tried her best to understand the children. As many had learned, her personality was warm and inviting, and not one person could say a bad thing about Madoka Kaname. She shrugged it off, telling herself that the new classes always took a while to get to know.

Kyouko then entered, the caretaker right behind her. He asked if he should stay, but Madoka kindly declined his help and asked him to leave. She then brought a grumpy Kyouko over to her desk, and invited the redhead to sit down.

"It's not the first time you've been here."

"So?"

"You get in a lot of fights. I'm worried about you." One of the few people immune to Madoka's kindness, Kyouko just gave the grown-up a skeptical glare. As a person who had learned to take different people differently over the years, Madoka changed her tone.

"Worried, huh?"

"Worried. I'm not going to ask you to try to explain why you're so violent, or why you are generally rude to everyone. I just want to know what happened this time."

"Why should I bother? They're going to punish me anyway." Kyouko often disregarded any kind of authority, as if she was talking to a person just as young as herself.

"Then tell you what. If you tell me what happened, truthfully, I'll personally ask your teachers to let this one slide."

"Like you could do that." Reluctantly, a glimmer of admiration flickered in the child's crimson eyes.

"I can. My opinion is very respected, especially when dealing with rebellious rascals such as yourself."

Madoka rested her head on her clasped hands, with a jokingly serious expression that made Kyouko giggle. She felt fond of the idea that this seemingly harmless woman had so much influence over the other teachers.

"Tch, fine. Sayaka stole something from me. She wouldn't give it back. I didn't exactly mean to bite her _that _hard, I just wanted to teach her a lesson."

"Hm, you're not the first person here today who has taken that approach." Madoka noted amusedly, remembering her earlier visitor. In order to put Kyouko a little more at ease, she took her time to explain Mami's predicament, without naming any names. It had the desired effect, as the redhead laughed hysterically at the absurd story.

"I have no idea what it is with you girls and chewing your problems away. You usually get past that as a baby."

Kyouko wiped a tear from her eye and nodded, and Madoka waited until she had stopped giggling to continue.

"But I have to ask. Sayaka don't seem like someone who would just steal something for no reason. And furthermore, why didn't you tell your teacher that? Surely that would've gotten Sayaka in trouble as well."

Kyouko looked down, a little taken aback at Madoka's sagacious comment. After ten or so seconds of silently judging whether she could lie or not, the red-haired girl stuck her hand down her pocket and pulled out a crumpled object. Almost nonchalantly, she tossed it onto the desk.

Madoka unfolded the shiny plastic wrapper that belonged to a chocolate bar. She looked at it briefly, then threw it in the bin beside her desk. Once again letting a gentle smile settle on her lips, she intently tried to judge this child.

"A bit of a sweet tooth, have we?"

"I know you aren't _allowed _to have candy with you." Kyouko mumbled, again defensive and gruff.

"And...so does Sayaka. Was that why she tried to take it from you?"

"I guess. She's always like that, rules and everything has to be fair and bla-bla-bla. But no way she can just take something _I _bought just because of some stupid rule! How is that fair!'?"

Kyouko made a strange grimace and rubbed her eyes, obviously trying not to cry. There were people, both young and old, that refused to cry. Madoka had always thought it especially admirable (if unnecessary) for kids, as they were so emotionally fragile.

"It's not. She shouldn't have tried to take it from you. And you shouldn't have bitten her. But you know what, Kyouko?"

"What?"

"Sayaka didn't say a word about any chocolate bar. She could've easily made the situation even worse for you, but she didn't. That's also pretty fair, don't you think? And you did the same thing, you never said that Sayaka had stolen anything from you. You're clever, you probably could've said something that would've made this equally her fault. But you didn't."

"What are you saying?"

Madoka stood up, a warm feeling spreading through the stomach at the very sense of understanding. Such a developed sense of honor, these children. Maybe even loyalty.

"Firstly, I think you should follow the rules. I'm in no way commanding you, it's merely a suggestion. Secondly, I'm saying that you have more in common with Sayaka than you might think."

Kyouko looked at the grown-up with her head tilted and her brows furrowed, desperately trying to comprehend if she was in trouble or not. She wasn't sure how to react at this point, and instinctively reverted back to her rude facade.

"Can I go now?"

"Absolutely. And like I promised, I will make sure you don't get punished for what you did. For this time."

The rebellious girl hurried out of the room, not giving Madoka or her words another thought. She'd caught a lucky break, somehow escaped a scolding, and her head was filled by nothing but the thought of Sayaka. She was still furious at the blunette's audacity, and wasn't going to forgive her any time soon.

Madoka felt content with what she had accomplished. She knew that girls such as Kyouko didn't change overnight. They were for the most part just misunderstood individuals, taking out their frustration on the world around them. Kyouko was no different, but in fact, she seemed comfortingly sensible. The rest, Madoka decided, was just a matter of time. Before she went back to work, she jotted down a quick line about Sayaka, just to make sure she didn't forget the name or who it belonged to.

**-I-**

It was time to go home. Madoka packed her bag, taking a last glance out the window. The schoolyard was empty, and autumn's vibrantly colored leaves danced across sand and gravel. The young woman quickly corrected herself at the sight of a girl by the benches in a corner of the yard. Her raven hair blew back and forth erratically in the playful wind, and Madoka could even at this distance perceive her annoyance as she brought the black cloud out of her eyes.

Ten minutes later, and she hadn't left. Madoka walked across the yard, the absence of laughing high-pitched voices both serene and strange. The girl looked over her shoulder, eyes widening at the sight of the kind grown-up. The girl's name was Homura, and she idolized Madoka to no end.

Madoka slowed down a bit, remembering to be careful around this child. Mami's occasional timidness was nothing compared to Homura's ditzy behavior. Madoka saw herself in the shy girl, saw much of her own past uncertainty reflected in those violet eyes, partially hidden behind the reflection of a red-rimmed pair of glasses. Aside from these characteristics, she didn't actually know all that much about Homura. Withdrawn manners came with the personality, and despite being allegedly clumsy, the raven-haired girl hadn't visited more than once or twice for vaccinations.

"Hi, Homura."

"Miss..." Inexplicably flustered, Homura turned back to the table and started throwing things into a bright purple backpack that lay open next to her. Madoka caught a glimpse of a set of crayons and a ruler.

"School has ended. Why are you still here?"

"Um...I-I live just across the street. I can even see my house from here. I just like it here, and...and I have my parents' permission to be here!" Homura tugged frantically on her black locks, as they were still flapping about in the strong wind. "It's n-not like I've snuck out or-"

"Easy, I was just wondering. I know your parents, I met them when school started, remember? I was more referring to...isn't it cold out here?"

"Nuh-uh." Demonstratively, the awkward girl pulled a fluffy down jacket tighter around her. "It's nice, and cool. I love it, except for the wind. It makes it really hard to..." Homura cut herself off, and quickly looked down and put her arms across the table in a very peculiar manner.

Madoka went around the benches, just to find Homura trying to cover a piece of paper with her hands. Two crayons were still left on it, a yellow and a black one. The raven-haired girl stared at them intently, as if her stare was the only thing keeping them from flying away with the wind.

"Don't look! It's not done!"

"You draw, Homura?"

The girl nodded, cheeks bright red. She looked up at the woman she admired, with a sudden accusatory look that made Madoka feel strangely uncomfortable.

"You can't see it, it's not done!"

"Sorry. I didn't know." Madoka smiled apologetically and turned around, and heard the clumsy shuffling and crackling as Homura quite carelessly pushed the drawing deep down her backpack and threw the leftover materials in with it. Asking for permission first, the empathetic woman then sat down across from Homura, who now sat still with her hands in her lap.

"So, you draw?"

"Yeah...my family moved here recently, so I don't know the other kids very well. So I sit and draw a lot, at home or here. I'd rather be by myself anyway."

Madoka recalled this from her talk with the parents, how they had expressed worry that their daughter would have trouble making new friends. Being the school nurse coupled with the counselor made her as frequently conversed with as the teacher for the same class, and she liked having insight in each student's life as to stay on top of matters. This was a difficult task, yet manageable because of the meager size of the facility. She had, as was to be expected, quickly dismissed Homura's mother's worry and assured the father that Homura would surely get along well with the other kids.

"What makes you say that?"

"I'm clumsy, and I mess up a lot. I'm sure the others don't want to hang around someone like me."

"And I'm sure you're wrong." Madoka said, without a trace of doubt. Violet eyes twinkled, and the underlying compliment made bubbles form in the young girl's stomach. "I've seen plenty of people like yourself, Homura. All of them sounding much like you, and all of them becoming good friends with almost everyone."

"I...I have to go." Unsure of what to do with herself, Homura stood up and threw the backpack over one shoulder. She was shivering and so terribly hot, unaccustomed to the friendly attention she was now getting. How Madoka had been able to feel cold was beyond her.

"I'll see you around. And Homura?"

"Y-yes, miss...Madoka?" The name burned her tongue in the most comfortable of ways. In a world of worry and pressure, of responsibility and so many things still incomprehensible, the understanding grown-up was the proverbial center of Homura's universe. She wanted to believe her, believe that she'd make friends and all that, if just to make her proud.

"If you want to avoid struggling with your long hair, why not do something with it? I think you'd look great in braids, personally." Madoka suggested, patting one of her pigtails to emphasize the statement.

"T-thanks, I...I'll think about it."

The raven-haired hurried across the yard, the backpack bouncing from side to side as she ran. Madoka Kaname sat still, watching the student cross the empty road and walk up to her home. She stayed seated for another minute, mind abuzz with the multitude of conflict and emotion that her job carried. She loved every single one of the students, and she would always do her best to take care of all of them. It was the least she could do, having the privilege of watching them grow up and discover the joys and griefs of life.

-I-

Three days later, a drawing showed up in Madoka's inbox. It was crinkly, as if it had been crumpled up and straightened out several times. Though one would expect it to be crude, it was nicely and realistically colored with some minor attempts at shading. It pictured the schoolyard, the nearby forest and the row of houses across the road.

The sun shone bright and yellow in the purely blue sky. It sent its drawn rays across the landscape, and Madoka couldn't find a single spot on the paper that wasn't colored, which was impressive. In the middle of the drawing stood two people. Despite the artist's earlier talents, the humans were represented by gangly stick figures. One was tall, with a bush of pink sprouting from either side of the head. The other one was much shorter, with a rainfall of purple cascading down her back.

The two figures were holding hands, and they were both smiling.

Madoka saved the drawing.


End file.
